


Attacked

by pandorabox82



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-07-26 16:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7582039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorabox82/pseuds/pandorabox82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erin has just gotten her life back on track after dealing with the Replicator. Yet someone seems intent on getting money from David through her. Will she be able to survive another attempt on her life?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Erin woke up a massive headache. Trying to reach up and rub her temple, she found that her hands were bound behind her back and she began to struggle, testing out her bonds and trying to see if there was any weakness to them. Finding none, she looked around, trying to get her bearings about her.

"Think, Erin Joy, think. What is the last thing you remember?" she murmured, not recognizing anything about the room she was held in. Racking her brain, she found that the only thing she could remember was heading into the grocery store after work the night before. Or at least, she hoped it was the night before. "David!"

The thought of her lover, unaware that she was missing, sent her into a tailspin and she burst into tears, curling up into herself as best she could. It hadn't even been two months since Alex had chosen to leave, and she knew that this latest incident would difficult on him. Erin tried to stand up, but found that her left ankle throbbed in pain the moment she attempted putting weight on it.

Collapsing to the ground, she rubbed her ankle awkwardly, looking at the wooden door in frustration. Freedom was so close and yet out of reach for her and she punched her hand a few times before beginning to pat her pockets with her elbows, looking for her phone. Of course, it was gone, and she fought to keep hysteria at bay. There was something that unsettled her about where she was being kept, and she could only hope that Dave or Aaron found her, soon.

"Talk to me of Mendocino," she began to softly sing, needing to keep her mind off what was happening to her. The familiar song helped to ease her heart and she began to look around her, to survey the room she was being held in and take stock of her situation. There was a door at the top of a set of stairs, which more than likely meant she was being kept in a finished basement. Scooting around on her behind, she saw that there was a bed underneath a small window, which was too high up for her to reach, even if she tried to balance on the headboard of the bed.

Realizing that her thighs and butt were aching, Erin maneuvered herself over to the bed and pulled herself up onto the mattress. Reaching down, she rubbed at her ankle again, hissing in pain a little. As she stared at the footboard of the bed, she glanced upon a rough spot in the metal and crawled over to it, sawing at the bonds until they were weak enough to break. Resigning herself to waiting, Erin stretched out on the bed and made a nest out of the bedding, trying to chase some of the chill out of her body. "All right, so I know the following details about my situation," she murmured aloud, needing to hear her voice to break the heavy silence of the room.

"I am being kept in a basement with no way to access the window as a means of escape. I could try the stairs to see if I could open the door, but somehow I must have injured my ankle, as I cannot take the pain of putting any weight on it at the moment. Most likely, it's just a sprain, since I was able to put some weight on it before I chickened out and collapsed to the ground." A noise outside startled her, breaking her concentration as she looked at the window, hoping against hope to see a human face.

"Dammit, Erin Rose, you need to focus. What do you remember about last night?" She lapsed into silence as she tried to think back to the previous evening. She had been out with her daughter, having a good supper and an even better talk, before she had started home. David had promised that he would call her before she went to sleep, since he was up in New York, talking to his agent about his next book. She hadn't made it until that time, she was almost positive. She knew that she had made it home, because she remembered parking her car in the garage, but she couldn't remember putting the garage door down.

"So, whoever took me was waiting for me at my house. That means they were watching me closely enough to know my routine, and knew that David would be gone. All right, now that you've managed to figure out some small piece of this puzzle, Erin Rose, now you need to think about what has been different in your life lately. Have you noticed anyone acting oddly at work? Hanging around long after their appointment? Have you gotten weird vibes off any person that should have sent you running to David's arms and asking Penelope for help?"

Erin tapped her finger against her lips as she thought about her clients at the hospital. There wasn't any that stood out as being particularly creepy, or that had set off her internal warning bells. The only person that she had really felt off with in the last few months was one of the ER nurses, but she had only seen her a few times when she'd been called down to talk to a patient there.

Exhaustion soon began to gnaw at the edges of her brain and she couldn't decide if she wanted to give in to the overwhelming desire to sleep or try and stay up in an effort to see if her captor would make an appearance. In the end, sleep won out, and she pulled the blanket over her head as she let the darkness claim her once more.

The sound of a door slamming sometime later woke her up, and Erin breathed in the delicious scent of a thick beef stew. A part of her didn't want to eat the food, as she had no idea who had prepared the food or what they had done with it. Hunger won out, though, and she picked up the tray, settling it over her legs. Erin was grateful for the lidded cup, since it meant she was less likely to spill, and she devoured the food, finding herself hungrier than she had imagined.

Reclining against the headboard, she sipped at the drink and was startled to find that it was her preferred coffee blend, a white mocha with a two shots of caramel. The idea that whoever had her knew her well enough to know that unsettled her deeply, and she struggled not to throw up or cry at the newest revelation. The one spot of brightness that she could take out of the entire situation was that this person wanted her alive.

Glancing back down at the tray, she noticed a single piece of paper and she hesitantly picked it up, her eyes scanning the words written there. _There's a bathroom under the stairs. It's not much, but it will do for your needs._

She shuddered a little at the terse note, wondering what would happen to her. Her captor wanted her alive and healthy, it seemed, and this finally caused her to start crying once more, as the idea of her staying down her for some time finally began to sink into her mind.

Swinging her legs off the bed, she hesitantly put weight on her bad ankle, finding it less painful to walk on this time. She limped over to the door and opened it, finding a serviceable shower stall, a sink, and a toilet. Erin tried not to give into hysteria as the fleeting thought that she was trapped in a game of The Sims flitted through her brain. Shaking her head, she stepped inside and quickly voided before washing her hands.

Again, she found herself confronted with familiarity, this time by the presence of her favorite scent of lotion from Bath and Body Works. Trying to suppress her shudder, she picked up the bottle and hobbled back to her bed and plopping down onto the mattress. Popping open the cap, she squeezed a little out onto her hand and rubbed in the comforting, familiar, scent of home before wrapping her arms around her legs and sighing. She only hoped that David would find her before long, and bring her home.


	2. Chapter 2

Erin woke up and glanced at her watch. Based on the light outside the window, and the time on the display, she had slept a good twelve hours, and it was now six in the morning. Her shift at the hospital started in an hour, and she knew that was most likely when people would start looking for her. Sitting up in the bed, she stretched and once more looked around the room to see if anything had changed.

Sometime in her sleep, a chair and a small folding table had appeared in her room, and sitting on the table was a medium sized duffle bag. Frowning deeply, she got out of bed and walked with slightly more ease than the day before, hobbling over to the table and unzipping the bag. A soft, heartbroken, cry escaped her lips when she looked inside. Whoever her captor was, they had been inside her house, as she recognized her clothes. There was enough inside to keep her comfortable for days, and she shuddered a little even as she pulled out fresh panties and a different outfit.

Once she had changed, she pawed through the bag, hoping to find her iPad or her phone, hoping that her captor had slipped up. There was nothing in there, though, that would help her escape, just her toiletries. Letting out a deep sigh, she sank down onto the folding chair and tried not to cry.

The sound of a door opening had her head whipping around to stare up the stairs, every muscle in her body tensing as she prepared to view her captor for the first time. There was a slight pause, and Erin found herself staring at white, slip-resistant, shoes as she heard the lock of the door snick shut. Her shoulders slumped a little, knowing that it would be futile to try and escape at the present, given her injured ankle and the lock.

As she continued to watch, it became clear that she was being held by a woman, as the blue scrubs that she was wearing clung tightly to her curves. The clothes were a bit too tight for her body type, and Erin tried to keep from shaking her head as she realized that even in a situation like this, she couldn't move past being slightly judgmental.

"Oh, good, you're awake."

The voice was familiar, and Erin dragged her eyes up to look into the face of Mary Breslin, one of the ER nurses at the hospital she worked in. A small shiver of fear ran down her spine at the implication of Mary letting her know who she was. Usually when this happened, the unsub had no plans of ever letting their victim go alive. "I am. What happened?" she asked softly, not wanting to set the woman off.

Mary smiled at her, and there was nothing off about her smile, nothing that would indicate that she was mentally unbalanced or evil. "There was a slight incident, and I had to do something drastic. I've been following your story, ever since you were hired in at the hospital as a counselor. Gossip travels quickly, you know, and your story is quite an amazing one. And you're dating David Rossi, who everyone knows is loaded. Which is perfect for our situation."

Erin took a deep breath as she nodded, hoping that by playing into the woman's desperation she would be able to gain her trust and be able to find a way out of her situation. "And what situation is that, dear?" she asked, reaching out and clasping Mary's hand softly, hoping to build a rapport with the woman.

"My husband has decided to file for full custody of our four children. And I need money to hire a great lawyer and make certain that he doesn't get them."

Erin nodded and let her thumb rub back and forth over Mary's hand. "Why would that be a bad thing?"

"He's a homophobic jackass. He left me when he found out that I had found the love of my life. Her name is Cathy Knapp, and we've finally found each other. Lowell just doesn't get it, he thinks that I cheated on him for my own personal pleasure. And that is the last thing in the world I would do. I need to keep my kids!"

A few tears began to roll down Mary's cheek, and Erin tried to check the eye roll she felt building in her. "I still don't see what that has to do with me."

"David Rossi will pay anything to get you back. And that money will go towards hiring the best lawyer that I can find in the DC area. If I play my cards right, I can hire Michelle Thomas and I'll be certain to retain custody of my kids. The mother always wins when she takes their side." Mary reached up and wiped away some tears, and Erin saw that her face had become red and blotchy with her tears. Try though she might, she couldn't find any empathy in her heart for the woman, even though she had almost faced a similar situation.

"Why do you think that David will give you money? He's tighter than my Dutch grandparents." She pulled her hand back and laced her fingers together, setting them on the table as she stared at Mary. "He loves me, yes, but he also knows that he can live without me, now." She didn't really like thinking about the fact that the words she was speaking were true to some extent, since it hurt her heart to know that there was some small kernel of truth there that her mind like to bring up every time that she was feeling insecure.

"You're wrong, once he realizes that he cannot live without you, he'll pay any price to get you back. All I need is four hundred thousand dollars, and I won't have to worry about a thing. Your Dave is good for that, we've been researching and know that he's worth eight figures, at the moment."

Erin felt like she was falling even farther down the rabbit hole as she listened to the woman so casually describe the net worth of her lover. Anxiously, she ran her birthday ring back and forth on her finger, trying to calm herself down, only to notice that Mary was eyeing said ring covetously. "It's just a ring," she muttered, pulling her hands down into her lap.

"If I'm not mistaken, that ring is from Tiffany, and is worth more than I make in a year. Cathy would tell me that I should take it from you to use as leverage. I won't do that to you, though." Mary smiled at her a little. "I don't want to be cruel, really, I don't. We just need to be a family, and this is the only way that I know of to make that happen."

Erin shrugged a little. "There are always loans. Or finding the next best lawyer. Committing a crime to obtain your goals is never the right thing to do."

Mary sighed deeply as she shook her head. "Sometimes, it is. Now, is there anything that I can get you? Were you in the middle of any books that I could bring you from home?" She reached up to twirl a long piece of her red hair around her finger as she looked at Erin.

"I'm reading _The Shell Seekers_ , and it's on my nightstand. And I'd like my phone or laptop."

"Well, those last two are certainly not going to happen, but I can bring you your book. I have to go in to work now, I'll be sure to tell your supervisor that I saw you in the parking garage and you said you had to go home, ill. We wouldn't want anyone to worry, now would we?"

Erin shook her head a little as her hopes were dashed, and she got up, heading back over to the bed. "Will you at least leave me breakfast? I'm starving."

"There's a food chest under the bed. I hope I picked out things that you like. Have a good day." Mary got up and made her way over to the staircase. "Oh, and I left some of my favorite books in a box under the bed as well. I'll see you later!"

Erin gave her a half-hearted wave as she tried to fight off the nausea that was clawing at her stomach. She really was never making it home, and she only wished that she could say goodbye to her David somehow. The moment the lock snicked shut once more, Erin gave herself over to her tears as she stood up and limped over to the bathroom, trying to keep from being sick until she had gotten there. She wanted to retain as much dignity as she could, in a horrid situation.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Erin heard the snick of the lock that evening, she had memorized how many boards were in the length of the ceiling, along with the number of knots in said boards. She knew that she had to keep her mind active and busy, that she couldn't afford to give into ennui. That would be her downfall.

Glancing up at the stairs, she saw that Mary was coming downstairs, carrying a tray of food, another duffle bag slung over her shoulders. Erin started to stand up, not hearing the lock reengage and wanting to use that small window of opportunity to escape. She was unable to hide the way her face fell when the lock turned over, and Mary gave her an indulgent smile. "Cathy is over tonight, making supper for us. I brought you your favorite from Panera Bread."

Erin released a long, low breath as she limped over to the table and took a seat, watching Mary set the tray down in front of her. "How is it that you know the way I take my coffee, my favorite order from Panera, my favorite scent?"

"Cathy said that we would have to look for someone who was attached to someone rich and famous. You were the only one that I knew of, given your high profile, due to the Replicator case. So, I started watching you, since it was never my intention to harm you. I want you to be comfortable while you're here, sort of like a sleepover, only, one you can't leave."

Erin nodded a little as she picked up half of the smokehouse turkey panini. She was grateful for the care that Mary was showing her, but it made her all the more wary of the woman, as well. She even knew that Erin preferred to drink the hibiscus iced tea with her meal, along with having a pecan braid for dessert. "I suppose it is like that. What's in the bag?"

"Your book, along with a few others. I don't know how fast of a reader you are, and I didn't want you to get bored. I also brought along your laptop. You won't be able to get on the internet here, I made certain to lock our wi-fi, and there's no way I'll tell you the password. But I thought that you might like to write a story of your own, while you're here. You seem like the type who likes to write." Mary gave her a small smile. "I took a look at the programs you have on there, and I don't think I'll have to worry about you trying to use this to escape."

Erin nodded dumbly as she took another bite of her sandwich before sipping at her iced tea. "I'll put it to good use," she murmured, not looking up at Mary.

"All right, then, I'll get out of your hair. Just, bring the tray to the top of the stairs when you're finished. If it doesn't hurt your ankle too much. It's just a sprain, so it will get better with time, I promise. God bless."

All Erin could do in reply was nod, focusing on her food as she heard Mary drop the duffle bag on the floor and then climb the stairs. Once the door had closed and locked again, she set the sandwich aside and took a deep breath, pressing her palms against her eyes so as not to cry. As the sensation passed, she looked back down at her food and wolfed it down, knowing that she needed to keep her calorie count up, just in case she was afforded the opportunity to escape.

The moment she was finished with her pecan braid, she picked up the cup of tea and the duffle bag, bringing them over to the bed. After setting aside her drink on the nightstand, she pulled the bag onto her lap. Opening it, she found _The Shell Seekers_ on top and she placed it next to her drink. Rooting around a little more, she pulled out a few more books, trying not to smile when she saw that Mary had brought along her favorites. _Rebecca_ , _Persuasion_ , _The Four Loves_ , along with a few others. And then, her fingers closed around the laptop, and she pulled it out, along with the charger. Feeling along the wall next to her, she found an outlet and plugged the charger in, not wanting to lose this connection with the outside world.

And that's what it truly would be. Erin knew that Mary had said that she had locked the wi-fi at the house, that there was no way she could connect, but she hadn't become close with Penelope to not pick up a few tips and tricks along the way. From upstairs, she head a door slam, and wondered if she was being left here alone. The thought unnerved her and she shuddered a little before pulling the blanket over her legs.

Sucking in a few breaths, she opened the laptop and tapped in her password. Once that was done, she called up her control panel and changed her password to something less easy to crack and then clicked on the internet connections. The screen that popped up showed her that Mary was correct, the only available connection was labelled Breslin, and had a small lock next to it. Feeling determined, she clicked on that connection and narrowed her eyes as she tried to think about what the password could possibly be.

"The most obvious answer is Cathy, but I have no idea how her lover spells her name. There are so many variants of the name. Or it could be Cathleen or Catherine," she mused. And then there was the possibility that it was the woman's last name, but that was too simple, and so Erin threw that idea out of her head at once.

"I'll just try Cathy with a C," she muttered, tapping in the letters and pressing connect. She wasn't surprised when she was kicked out and told that the password was incorrect. Shaking her head, she tried another variation of the name, and once more got rejected. Knowing that she couldn't dare try a third time, she went back over to her tray, hoping that Mary had left some small piece of tinfoil that she could use as a signal booster. "Penelope would be so proud of me," she breathed out, as she returned triumphant to the bed. Quickly, she fashioned a crude miniature satellite dish out of the piece of tinfoil. Popping open the CD tray, she pulled out the small rectangle of copper that she and Penelope had made if she was ever in an area that had a poor wi-fi signal.

It didn't take long to get things set up, like Penelope had shown her, but still, there was no unlocked wi-fi signal detected, and she huffed out a frustrated sigh. "Well, fuck," she said loudly, feeling like she had earned the right to curse, and pulled the device out of her laptop, slipping it into the drawer, not wanting to be discovered.

Setting aside the laptop, Erin once more fought to keep from crying, and she snuggled down into the mattress, grabbing hold of _The Shell Seekers_ and opening to where her bookmark was. Soon, she was lost in the world that Rosamunde Pilcher had created, the story allowing her to transcend what was happening to her, even if only for a moment.


	4. Chapter 4

When Erin woke up the next morning, the hardcover book was resting open against her face, and she smiled. It had been a long time since she had let herself fall asleep whilst reading, but the action had calmed her incredibly, enough so that she could sleep well, her mind forgetting that she was being held captive.

Replacing her bookmark, she sat up and stretched, hearing her back crack a little before she slipped out of bed. With the new morning, she found that her ankle hurt a little less than the day before and for that she was grateful. It meant that she was that much more likely to make a run for it, should she see an opening.

Walking over to her clothes bag, she pulled out fresh clothes and made her way to the bathroom, peeing before stripping off the used clothes and setting them in the basket she hadn't noticed before. Shaking her head, she stepped into the small shower stall and shuddered once more, seeing her bath products hanging in a small basket. She knew that she couldn't let the casual familiarity with her life rattle her, though she did make a mental note to have all her locks changed the moment she escaped, and then she was going on a shopping spree.

The warm water felt good against her skin, and she frowned a little when it started to run cold. Knowing that she had to get out, she shut off the water and opened the door, reaching out for the large, fluffy, towel that had been provided for her. Wrapping it around her body, she picked up the smaller towel and patted dry her skin before wrapping it around her hair so that it would dry a little more quickly.

After she had dressed, she went back out to her room and sighed deeply to see that breakfast was waiting for her. That could only mean that she had missed Mary, and while she didn't want to admit it, she craved talking to someone else. She had thought herself more introverted, since she preferred her alone time, but this was quickly proving that she needed to be able to talk to people on a regular basis.

"You can't give in to your hysteria, Erin Rose. You need to keep your wits about you," she said aloud as she went over to the table and ate. Deciding to keep the orange juice with her, she set the rest of the plates at the bottom of the stairs, not wanting to put through the effort of climbing the stairs and possibly hurting her ankle once more.

Going back over to her bed, she read through a few more chapters of her book before finding herself unable to concentrate on the storyline, so she opened the laptop once more, hoping that there was an unlocked connection for her to use. Finding none, she sighed and stared at her home screen. Knowing that she had to lose herself once more, she called up _The Sims_ and began to make a new neighborhood, populating it with perfect forms of all her friends. She gave herself and Dave two beautiful little girls, along with the three children she already had, and, feeling romantic, decided to pair up the others as well. Penelope and Derek seemed the first natural fit, and she created a little boy for them. She paired Aaron with Jennifer, since she had always thought that they would make a handsome couple, even if they had ended up with different people. Which left Reid alone, until she thought of Emily. Pairing them off, she gave them two cats, which seemed a more natural fit for them than children.

Lastly, she made a household that included Mary and Cathy. Since it felt right for some reason, she spelt the unseen woman's name with a C, and then she started playing her household, quickly making friends with Penelope, and enemies with Cathy. The game managed to distract her for a few hours until her stomach growled, reminding her that she couldn't survive on the few sips of orange juice that she's been taking. Setting the laptop aside, she flipped onto her stomach and pulled out the food box that Mary had left for her, rooting around in it until she picked up the box of Pop Tarts. They were strawberry, which pleased her to no end, and she grabbed out a pack before sitting up once more and getting absorbed in her game.

She had just gotten Penelope's avatar pregnant when she heard noise on the floor above her, and she knew that she had to be on alert once more. Saving her progress, she closed out the program and opened a Word document, staring at the blank page and trying to think of something to write.

The creak of the door opening had her looking up the staircase and she relaxed a little as she recognized Mary's legs coming down the stairs. "Good evening, Erin! I hope that you've had a pleasant day. I've brought us supper."

"Thanks," she murmured as she slipped off the bed and made her way over to the table. Just as she reached it, the lock snicked into place, and she fought to not sigh audibly. "What did you bring?"

"Corn beef casserole. We had it cooking in the crock pot all day. I told Cathy that you might need some company tonight, given that you've been alone for a while."

The concern in Mary's voice sounded slightly too saccharine to Erin's ears, and she slumped down into the chair as she took the bowl from the woman's hands. "It would be nice to talk to someone," she said softly as she picked up the fork and began to eat. Much though she didn't want to admit it, Mary was a good cook, and she quickly ate before picking up her glass of water and sipping it, watching Mary. "Did anyone ask after me at work?" she finally asked.

"No, I told your office that you would be out for at least a week more. Cathy and I have to pull together our ransom note and then get everything set up. This has to go perfectly, you realize, otherwise I'll never get custody of my children." Mary sighed as she picked up her glass and took a large swallow.

"There's nothing wrong with sharing custody, you realize. I did the same with my husband when we broke up. And he was a jerk about it, too. But my babies need their father's influence in their lives, even if it is one that I had grown to dislike over the years of our marriage."

Mary looked up at her, her eyes narrowed with resentment. "He's already starting to poison them against me. He told them that I'm a cheating whore!"

Erin fought to keep her eyebrow from arching, from saying the first thing that came to her mind, and totally alienate the woman. "Well, perhaps you should have kept the more physical aspects of a relationship for after you were divorced?"

Mary shook her head. "It's not like we had had sex in the three years before we separated. I found that I didn't like sex with him, like I was being forced to do something abhorrent when I was with him. And sex should be pleasurable."

Erin nodded at that, thinking about the last time she and David had made love. "That it should. Listen, I know a little about how things work, and if you get me a prepaid cellphone, it wouldn't be traced back to you, and I could talk to my David. I miss him. You get to see Cathy every night, and I'm days away from him."

She never saw Mary's hand until it connected sharply with her cheek, the band of her ring tearing open the thin skin there. "I cannot see my children right now, and am sucking it up. You can do the same with your David. And once we have what we want, we'll give you back to him. There's no need to be such a whiner."

Erin cradled her cheek as she stared dumbly at Mary, watching her angrily stack their dishes before stomping up the stairs. A small part of her wanted to rush at Mary, to pull her down onto the ground and beat her senseless and try to make her escape. The more reasonable part of her brain told her that she had no idea what Cathy looked like, or if she had a gun, and that attacking Mary would result in nothing good. So, she just sat there and stared, her eyes filling with tears. The moment the upstairs door slammed shut, she gave over to her weeping, burying her face in her hands as she cried.


	5. Chapter 5

Erin managed to sleep in the next morning, and when she woke up, she found a pitcher of orange juice and a stack of pancakes on the table waiting for her. Not bothering to pull out fresh clothes, she stumbled over to the table and touched the plate, finding it lukewarm still. Shrugging a little, she dug into the stack, smiling a little when she tasted the cinnamon chips baked inside.

She also didn't take the tray over to the stairs, figuring that Mary could use the exercise and get it herself if she wanted. The still, small, voice in her heart whispered that she was being petty, but she quickly stamped out that voice, wanting to feel bitter and angry and foul that morning. After pouring herself a glass of juice, she brought it and the pitcher over to her bed and made a nest out of the bedding before crawling into it and picking up _The Shell Seekers._ She was almost finished with it, having read more last night in an attempt to calm her raging heart.

It took her two hours to finish her book and she set it aside with a satisfying thump on the nightstand. Feeling a little adrift, she picked up her well-worn copy of _The Four Loves_ , and turned to the passage on Philia. She smiled as she took a look at the notes she had written in the margins, the little insights she had added to Lewis's meditation on the power of friendship love. She wanted to share this with Penelope, but she hadn't had the chance to do so yet. Again, she started crying, and she closed the book to swipe at her eyes, damning herself for being so weak.

Sighing deeply, she set the book aside and picked up the laptop, opening it as she adjusted how she was sitting. Knowing that anything productive was a futile endeavor, she called up _The Sims_ once more and started playing. She had just gotten Aaron and Jennifer with child when she got bored of playing, and so she saved her progress and exited out of the program before calling up her story. There wasn't much on the screen, but she was still unhappy with it. Quickly wiping out the words there, she started on a new tack, deciding to write a history of her life, hoping that one day her children would be able to read it and remember her fondly.

That seemed to be the thing that took her mind off her current predicament, and she tapped away at the keyboard, starting with her earliest memories. The hours passed by quickly, and she ate another sleeve of Pop Tarts as she continued to write. Finally, though, her fingers started to ache, and she set the laptop aside before drawing her knees up to her chest so that she could hug them to herself.

"Erin, you've been in tougher circumstances. John Curtis wanted you dead and you prevailed against him, by the grace of a God you weren't entirely sure you believed in any longer. Mary has been kind to you for the most part, save that one instance of anger after you provoked her. If you keep your head down, you will make it out of here alive. And you will give David the answer that he has wanted ever since you started dating."

Wiping her eyes free of tears once more, she unwound her body and picked up her laptop once more, opening her picture file and clicking through all the pictures of her family and her David. A tiny laugh bubbled out of her lips when she saw that Penelope had somehow managed to download a picture of them into the folder, and she reached out to run her finger over her friend's features.

"I suppose, if I were you, that I would check to see if any unlocked connections had popped up while I was wiling away the time being so morose," she murmured as she clicked on the connections button. A strangled gasp burst from her mouth as she saw that there was one such connection, and she clicked on it, hoping beyond hope that there would be no further authentication hoops to jump through.

Her shoulders slumped as she connected to the internet with no problems. The signal was a little weaker than she would like, but still, she had a slim filament to the outside world, and a chance at escape. Bringing up Firefox, she directed the browser to Gmail, and logged in quickly, her hands shaking with nerves.

She had to close her eyes to the host of messages from her children and David, knowing that she couldn't focus on that. If she did, she might lose the connection and be stuck for days longer in this Hell. Taking a deep breath, she clicked on compose and typed in Penelope's email, letting it autofill before going to the subject line, titling her message 'Help!'

_Penelope, I have no idea where I'm being held, only that my captor's name is Mary Breslin and that she works at the same hospital as I do. She's being very nice, so far, making certain that I have food and drink, and bringing me my laptop. The house wi-fi network is locked, and I'm leaching off a neighbor's, I think. Find me, Penelope. Bring me home. I miss David, my children, and you so much. Give them all my love, just in case. Erin_

She could feel herself start to come undone once more, and she quickly hit send, making certain that it had gone off before disconnecting from the internet and closing the laptop. She didn't want to take any more chances that day, and she tried to still the shaking of her hands. Erin knew that the nervous energy was not good, that it could very well give her away once Mary returned, and she stood up and began to pace the room, hoping to burn some of it off. Finally, she felt a little more calm, and she curled back up on the bed, picking up _The Four Loves_ once more and settling in to read.

It was dark outside the next time she looked up from her book, and her stomach growled to inform her that she hadn't eaten in quite some time. Closing the book, she got up and crept over to the stairs, climbing them as quietly as she could and pressing her ear to the door. She couldn't hear a single whisper of movement behind it, and she wondered if somehow her email had been intercepted and she was now being left to die.

Shaking her head, she knew that she had to keep such negative thoughts out of her mind, that if she dwelt on the worst case scenario, she really would drive herself barmy. Heading back to the bed, she rummaged around the food box and pulled out something to tide her over until the morning, hoping that Mary would appear once more, and her newly normal routine would get back on track.

After she'd eaten, she found that she wasn't tired in the least, but she didn't have any concentration for reading or writing. Sighing, she thumped back against the headboard of the bed and stared at the ceiling once more, counting the boards until she felt tired enough to finally sleep, hoping that Penelope would take her email seriously and that David would find her and bring her home.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the sound of plates clanking that woke her the next morning, and Erin sat up slowly, taking stock of her surroundings. "You're back," she muttered as she stretched, working the kinks out of her back as she stood and padded over to the table. "What did you make for breakfast today?"

"Aren't you going to shower and dress for the day, Erin?" Mary asked as she looked her up and down. Erin shrugged a little, not really caring how she looked at the moment. "I thought you would take better care of yourself than this."

"It's not like I'm going to be seeing anyone that I care about," she replied listlessly as she sat down and picked up a mug, sipping at the warm coffee. "Why should I get dressed up for the woman who wants to make money off me? I'm not a whore."

"I never said that you were."

Again, she shrugged and began to pick at the food, finding that her appetite had fled for some odd reason. "I still feel like one, though. Like the only thing that I'm worth is the monetary value I can bring." A few tears began to roll down her eyes, and she knew that she was giving in to her moroseness, that she wasn't seeing things clearly.

"I'll be right back." Mary stood and made her way up the stairs, disappearing behind the door for a few minutes. Still, Erin poked at her food, trying to find her appetite. She managed to eat another half of a pancake, feeling it turn to lead the moment it hit her stomach. Erin didn't look up when she heard Mary's footsteps start back down, focusing on her food.

"I'm done," she said, pushing the plate away from her before picking up her coffee and sipping at it, not meeting Mary's eye.

"You didn't eat very much, you really need to keep your strength up. You don't want to go back to Dave all skin and bones."

Erin shrugged as she took another sip. "I'm just not hungry today." She got up and went over to the bed and curled herself up into a ball, staring at the floor. She heard Mary sigh deeply as she got up and rummaged around in her bathroom, finally taking a seat behind Erin on the bed. She fought to keep from shuddering as Mary began to brush her hair, taken extreme care to not pull at the snarls left from a night's restless sleep.

"Your hair reminds me of my oldest girl's. Julianne always had this wispy, curly, hair, though hers is much longer than yours. I loved brushing it out every night until she got too old to want me to do it any longer."

"My girls were always too independent to let me brush their hair," she found herself saying, a sad smile crossing her lips. To her horror, she started to sob as thoughts of her family came to the forefront of her mind. Mary's arms closed around her waist as she hugged her, and Erin tried to keep the bile down as she accepted the embrace. It was nice to be hugged, that was for sure, but she wanted it to be David's arms around her, holding her tight.

"You'll see them soon enough, Erin, I promise." Mary squeezed her a little tighter before resting her chin on Erin's shoulder. "It's going to be so hard to get my children liking Cathy now. My husband has poisoned them, and on the few times that we've been together, they've been less than welcoming to her."

"Of course they're going to be less than welcoming. To them, she's a home wrecker, the person who destroyed their family. You have to see it from their point of view."

Mary pulled away from Erin, and she turned to look at the woman. There were tears in her eyes and Erin felt her heartstrings being tugged against her will. Reaching out, she wiped away a few of the tears and saw Mary smile a little.

The door at the top of the stairs slammed open, and Erin stiffened in fear. Mary sighed deeply as she shook her head. "It's just Cathy."

Still, Erin couldn't stop the frisson of fear that slid down her spine as the woman stomped down the stairs, shoving a key into her shirt. "What did you say to make Mary cry, you bitch?" she bellowed out as she crossed the distance that separated them and Erin shrank into herself, knowing that violence was imminent. Mary met her eyes, a sad look on her face as she pulled away from her.

And then, Erin tasted the sharp, metallic, flavor of blood as Cathy's fist made contact with her cheek. Never in her life, even when Curtis had been drugging her, had she experienced physical violence, and so she wasn't expecting the second blow, which landed on her shoulder, knocking her back onto the bed. Instinctively, she curled into a ball, trying to block out the feeling of blows raining down on her. "Stop, Cathy! You're hurting her! Rossi won't pay if we hurt her, and you know that. Just go, go upstairs and I'll take care of her."

Erin barely registered Mary pulling Cathy off her, all she could focus on was the overwhelming pain that was radiating across her back. She felt like she couldn't draw a full breath, and still she refused to uncurl her body, even when Mary gently smoothed her hair back from her face. "Leave me alone," she managed to hiss out, even her teeth hurting as she said those words.

"No, I'm a nurse, I need to check you out, make certain that you're okay."

"Why don't you listen to the bitch, Mare? She wants to be left alone."

"Just get out of here, Cathy." Vaguely, Erin heard the woman stomp away and then the door slammed shut once more, the lock turning over with the same finality that never failed to send shivers down her spine. "Come on, sweetie, let's get you over to the bathroom so that I can check you out."

Erin tried to fight her, but in her current state she was unable to do much good, and so she stumbled after her into the bathroom, sitting heavily on the closed toilet. As Mary tried to remove her nightgown, she fought a little, not wanting the woman to see her naked. "Stop."

"No, Erin, I need to do an exam, crude though it might be since we're not in the hospital. I need to make certain that you don't have any broken bones, all right? And believe me, I've seen everything in my days in the ER." Knowing it was useless to resist, she let her body slump down, her arms covering her breasts from Mary's gaze.

"Could I at least get a bra?" she muttered as she tucked her chin into her chest.

"All right," the woman replied as she left the room and rummaged through her bag. The moment she returned, Erin went to snatch the bra from her hand, only to hiss in pain as her ribs screamed at her not to extend herself so. "Your ribs are most likely bruised. Let me help you get this on. Hold out your arms."

Wordlessly, she did as told, letting Mary help her into the wisp of fabric as the tears rolled down her face. The salt of them stung at the open wound on her cheek, and she bit her lip as she tried to stem the flow of her tears. This was quickly going from bad to worse, and her prayers began to turn more to just making it through the next day than to her hope of being rescued. Deep in her heart, she knew that this was not a good sign, as it signaled that she was starting to give up, but there was no way for her to turn her view around, and so she let herself be tended to, trying to block out the feel of Mary's hands gently examining her, fixing her the best she could. The more she felt, the more she knew that she was still alive, and that was all she would focus on from then on – the next moment and how she was still alive.


	7. Chapter 7

When Erin woke up the next morning, her entire body ached. Glancing at her watch, she saw that she had slept late again, and she shook her head a little, only to touch her forehead in an effort to stop the room from spinning. Looking around for something to eat, to ease the way her stomach was growling at her, she found that there was only a pitcher of orange juice on the table.

Erin frowned deeply as she climbed out of bed, taking care to ensure that she didn't jostle her ribs or hurt herself further. Making her way over to the table, she saw no food tray, and her frown deepened as she went over to the stairs, looking up to the top to see if it had been left there. Seeing nothing, she turned around and sank to her knees, looking under the bed for her box of food. A strangled cry of frustration slipped from her lips as she acknowledged the fact that it had been removed sometime while she had been sleeping.

"Great, they're going to starve me to death," she murmured as she went back over to the table, picking up the pitcher and pouring herself a glass. On the table, there was a note, in rough, ugly, writing telling her that she was being denied meals for the day due to her treatment of Mary the night before.

She sighed deeply and brought both pitcher and glass over to the bed, once more foregoing changing in favor of being comfortable. As she curled up on the bed, she felt a deep sadness sweep over her body and she fought back the tears that came to the forefront once more. Thinking back to last night, she could almost recall the look of pure rage that had marred Cathy's face, how it felt to be beaten.

Reaching up, she carefully brushed her fingers against the puffy bruise on her cheek. It hurt so much, and she decided that she had to see what damage Cathy had wrought. Taking a deep breath, she slipped out of bed once more, only to hear footsteps above her. Instantly, fear gripped her heart, and she scurried back into her nest, pulling the sheet up over her head as she tried to control the speed and sound of her breathing. The footsteps receded, and Erin still kept up her guard, not certain what would happen.

Keeping her eye on her watch, she tracked the seconds ticking by as one minute turned to ten turned to sixty. Finally, she felt safe enough to take a deep, full, breath and she slowly stretched out her body and tried to relax. Her muscles ached from being held so tensely over the course of an hour, and she sighed a little as she reached down and tried to rub out the pain. Finally, she stumbled out of bed and made her way over to the bathroom, lowering her panties and sitting on the toilet heavily.

As she voided, she began to take stock of the bruises on her legs. Erin could feel that there were large bruises on the backs of her thighs, since it hurt to sit on them, and the same marks mottled her lower legs as well. After finishing, she stood and made her way over to the sink, staring at her face in the mirror. Both of her cheeks were bruised and cut, one from Mary, the other from Cathy. Cathy's hit had also blackened her eye, and she went to bite her lower lip, only to hiss in pain as she broke open the split in it once more.

The bright red blood turned her stomach, and she fought to keep from throwing up, knowing that the bile would feel excruciating on her lips. Plucking a tissue from the box, she dabbed at the blood, soaking it up as she let herself cry. She looked awful, and she didn't want her David to see her like this. He would worry, and fuss, and that was the last thing she needed. If she was honest, all she wanted to do have him be silent and hold her for about a thousand years. "David, I hope that Penelope let you know. I hope that you're out there, looking for me."

Her shoulders began to shake from the force of her tears, the sting of salt making her feel all too alive and all too separated from her loved ones. She ran her hand through her hair, hissing a little as her fingers got caught on snarls she hadn't bothered to brush out yesterday. "There is no way that I want my babies to see me like this," she murmured as she stripped off the nightgown and got into the shower, turning it on as cool as she could stand it.

Still, the water hurt as it hit her skin, and she shivered a little as she raised her arms above her head to work the shampoo into her hair, hoping that it would help remove some of the knots. Erin found that she could barely stand to work the conditioner into her hair, and she knew that she could never stand the agony of scrubbing her body with the pouf.

Instead, she just stood under the water for as long as she could stand it, hoping to wash the scent of fear off her skin. It was pervasive, however, and she finally had to turn the water off before it was gone. Or maybe she was just imagining it. Anything could be possible at this point.

Getting out of the shower, she carefully wrapped a towel around her body and went out to the room so that she could grab fresh clothes. Erin almost dropped the towel where she stood, before remembering just when Cathy had stormed down the stairs last night – when she had reached out to comfort Mary. Which meant that they were watching her, and there was no way she was going to let those two women see her naked. Picking up her clothes, she hurried back to the bathroom and closed the door with as much force as she could muster.

Taking a deep breath, she managed to shimmy into her clothes, wincing slightly at the way her motions pulled at her bruises. Finally, she walked back out to her bed and carefully settled herself on the mattress, reaching for her glass of orange juice only to find it gone. In its place was an empty water bottle, and she let out a watery laugh as she realized that she really was being punished for making Mary cry. They had almost reached a level of absurdity that beggared disbelief, and she could hardly wait to see what the next day would bring her.

Letting out a frustrated breath, she threw the bottle as far away from her as she could before curling up with _Rebecca_ and losing herself in the world of the second Mrs. de Winter. At least this was one mystery that ended concretely enough, even though it was not a happy ending. Curling up a little, trying to find a comfortable position, she scanned the familiar words on the page and tried to stay awake, even as sleep and hunger gnawed at her overworked brain.


	8. Chapter 8

Erin was pulled out of her deep sleep by the sound of voices above her. There was something different about the air that morning, something that told her a sea change had happened, and for the first time in five long days, she felt a faint flicker of hope flame to life in her breast. Sitting up, she swung her legs off the bed and stood up, creeping over to her bag and hurriedly making certain that everything was still there.

The sound of footsteps changed above her, and she tensed a little as she listened to pounding of multiple running feet against the floor. A wide smile crossed her lips as she let her guard down, knowing that she was about to be rescued. She wondered if her David had come for her, or if he had been left behind, for fear that he would be a distraction to whatever team had been chosen to rescue her.

The door flew open, and she stared at the steps, wondering who would come flying down the stairs first. "Kitten! We haven't cleared the basement yet, you could get hurt!"

A soft laugh escaped her lips as she saw the woman's legs appear. Erin's gaze ran up her body until she was staring at her face, seeing the wide smile there, the tears that were creating tracks in her carefully applied makeup. "Erin!"

"Penelope," she breathed out, opening her arms. The woman launched herself into them, and Erin couldn't stop the anguished cry that burst from her lips as Penelope squeezed a little too tightly around her injured ribs.

"What did they do to you, sweetheart?" she breathed out as she looked into her face. "Oh, god, Erin." Turning her head, Penelope opened her mouth once more. "David, get your fine ass down here and see to your lover! They hurt her!"  
Again, she heard the thump of feet and then, she could smell the familiar scent of his aftershave, and her knees began to buckle a little. Reaching out, she clutched at Penelope's shoulders, trying to keep herself upright. "I'm almost there, bella. Hold on," he barked out, the stairs winding him, like they always did.

She nodded a little as she started to cry, closing her eyes so she could hide some of her weakness. And then, he was lifting her up in his arms, cradling her close as he possessively kissed her. Erin wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly as the kiss lingered. "You found me," she finally breathed out, and he nodded.

After settling her carefully on the bed, he crouched down to look at her. "Do you feel all right?" She shrugged a little. "What?"

"My bruises ache. And I only had about half a glass of orange juice in the last twenty four hours. I need to be seen by a doctor, and then I want to go home and sleep in your arms."

"That sounds wonderful, Erin." He leaned in and kissed her once more before settling himself beside her on the bed. "Kitten, would you pack everything up here? I seem to recall seeing these things at Erin's house."

"Yes, Mary brought them over for me. Don't bother with the toiletries, I'm going to find a new scent and buy entirely new product. I can't stand the smell of Paris, Amor any longer." She shuddered and cuddled close to her beloved. "Maybe I'll even let you pick one out for me, David," she said softly, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck.

He nodded a little, and she sighed as she heard Penelope gather up her things. From upstairs, she could hear other people milling around, and she wondered who else had come to rescue her. David must have read her thoughts, as he murmured in her ear. "Aaron and Derek came along with me and Penelope. JJ had to work with Reid and Callahan to make Cruz think that we were out doing something that didn't break every protocol in the book."

"That was nice of them." She began to feel tired once more, even as the men mentioned came down the stairs and joined them. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself, Erin. You're not supposed to scare us like this. We almost lost you once." Derek closed the distance between them and cupped her chin softly, staring into her eyes deeply. "When I find them, I will make them suffer for hurting you like this." Erin let her eyes close softly as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over her cut, the sweetness of the gesture bringing tears to her eyes once again.

"I just want to go home, Derek. I suppose that you'll have to call the paramedics, though, to take me to the hospital."

"Yeah, it is the one protocol we can't break, unfortunately." He chucked her chin softly before standing once more, and she looked up at him, a sad smile on her lips. The sound of feet once more creeping around upstairs had her stiffening in fear and she looked frantically to Aaron, knowing she would get clear answers from him.

"Aaron?"

"It's just us, Erin," he said tightly as he drew out his gun. Derek and David did the same and she shrank into her lover in fear. He turned his face and kissed the side of her head before standing to join the other men.

"Kitten, I need you to take Erin into the bathroom and close the door. We have no idea who it is up there, and she doesn't have her weapon on her."

"I know that Aaron has his backup gun strapped to his ankle, David. I can defend myself." Some of her fighting spirit was rushing to the forefront, and she lifted her chin, as if daring him to contradict her.

"And I just about lost you for the second time, Erin. Let me be a chauvinist jerk today and we can argue about it before we go to sleep tonight."

Erin let her shoulders slump as she nodded, getting up to head over to Penelope's side at the bathroom door. Just then, Cathy appeared at the top of the stairs, a gun in hand. Like a deer in headlights, she froze and stared at the woman, unable to make her mind work, to make her legs move. "How did they find you, bitch?" the woman bellowed as she stalked down the steps, her eyes never leaving Erin's.

"I don't know, Cathy. They're the best profilers in the world, though. You must have made a mistake somewhere."

"I don't make mistakes. But now, it does look like I'll have to clean up this mess that Mary made. We should have just gone with my idea in the first place and taken down the real target, Rossi there. None of this would have happened had I done that." Erin wondered how close her beloved would let that woman get to her, and then she heard the telltale click of three weapons being made ready to fire.

"Step away from Erin, and no one will get hurt," Derek bit out and she smiled a little at the defensiveness in his tone.

"I don't think so, buddy." Cathy raised the gun and pointed it right at her heart. Still, Erin couldn't move, even when she heard the shots ring out. A loud gasp of pain tore out of her lips as she felt the bullet penetrate her arm, and she instinctively slapped her hand over the wound in an effort to stem the flow of blood.

"Where are the paramedics?" Penelope yelled as she ran over to Erin's side, also applying pressure to the wound. "Do you think it hit the bone?" she asked as she used her free hand to smooth Erin's hair out of her face.

"I don't know. Was anyone else hit?"

"Just that woman. Rossi nailed her right between the eyes. You'll never have to worry about her hurting you again."

"Thank God," she murmured, fighting to stay awake. The blackness clawed at the side of her vision, though, and she gave in, too weak to fight unconsciousness any longer.


	9. Chapter 9

The next thing she knew, Erin was waking up in the back of an ambulance, David holding on to her hand as a paramedic worked on her. "Welcome back, Erin. You most likely passed out from the shock of being shot. I know this will sound weird to you, but you were really lucky, the bullet didn't hit any arteries and it missed the bone, too. In terms of gunshot wounds, this is the best one to get, if you have to be shot."

She frowned a little, tightening her grip on David's hand. "Where are you taking me?" she asked, trying to sit up a little, only to find herself strapped to a backboard.

"When your hospital heard that you were injured, they demanded that we take you there," the woman replied, a wide smile on her face.

Erin found that she couldn't smile back, and she looked over at David. "How could they possibly hear about me already, David?" she hissed out, her grip on his hand becoming painfully tight.

"The media are like vultures, bella. The moment the gunshots were heard, the neighbors were on the phone with the police, and the local channels came running. Of course they know who I am, and from there, extrapolated your identity. From there, it was just a matter of figuring out where to take you."

She nodded absently and then clutched at his hand tightly. "Don't leave me, David."

"Only if the doctors in the ER tell me to, Erin." She smiled up at him tremulously, sighing as he lowered his lips and kissed her. These were the kisses that she had come to crave from him, the ones that told her she was still alive, still in love.

Pulling away a little, she bit her lower lip as she looked up at him. "My answer is yes."

A warm smile spread across his features as he picked up her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the palm tenderly. "Then it's just perfect that I happen to be carrying this in my pocket, isn't it?" He used his free hand to fish around in his jacket pocket, pulling out the velvet ring box and holding it up so that she could see it. "If I put this on her now, they won't have to take it off in the ER, will they?"

The paramedic smiled at them as she shook her head. "No, it will be fine, since it looks like Erin won't have to have surgery on her hand."

"Well, that's perfect then. Erin Strauss, will you marry me?"

"Yes." She smiled as he opened the ring box, showing her a large opal ring. The sunlight streamed in the back of the ambulance, highlighting color bursts in the gem, making her smile. "Oh, this is so beautiful. Put it on me!"

"I'm glad you like it. It was my mother's ring." The revelation brought happy tears to her eyes, and he sighed before sliding it home on her finger. "I didn't mean to make you cry, Erin."

"I'm just so happy that I get the honor of wearing her ring. This is so perfect, why didn't you give it to Carolyn?"

He shrugged and stared at her hand. "She wanted something flashy and new. And I loved her enough to give that to her. I guess, I was just waiting for you." She nodded and closed her eyes, bringing her hand up to her heart and patting it lightly, trying to control her emotions. David tightened his grip on her right hand, and they lapsed into silence as the rig drove on.

Finally, they pulled into the emergency room bay, and Erin flinched a little as the doors to the ambulance slammed open, her hand clutching for David's, even though he had never let her go. "Is this Erin?" a familiar voice asked, and she raised her head a little to look at Luke Carter, her favorite attending. "How are you doing?"

"I've been better, Luke. But I'm still here. That's all that really matters, right?"

"Right." He helped the paramedics take her from the rig and they rolled into the hospital. It was odd, she thought, being able to remember coming into an ER. The last time, she had been unconscious, in a deep coma, and when she woke up, she'd been hooked to so many machines that she wasn't sure what was really happening to her for several long weeks. Seeing a familiar space from an entirely different viewpoint was unnerving, and she clung to David's hand, hoping that Luke would understand as they rolled her into an exam room.

"Could, could you just cut the sleeve of my blouse off? I have to deal with you lot every so often, and I'd rather keep some shred of modesty."

Luke smiled down on her as he nodded. "That would be fine. Are there any other places that we have to check out on you, though? It looks like you have a nasty laceration on your cheek."

"My thighs have some pretty nasty bruises, but those will fade with time. My back is also bruised, and I might have a cracked rib. Can you check that out without taking off my blouse?"

Luke stroked her hair softly as he nodded. "I can do that for you, Erin. I promise." She smiled a little, blinking back tears. And then, she stiffened in fear as a most unwelcome voice came floating over the air to meet her ears. "What is it?"

She shook her head a little, looking around until her eyes found David. He knelt down and caressed her good cheek softly before whispering in her ear. "What has you spooked, bella?"

It was then that Mary chose to walk into the room, and Erin could hear the beeping of the monitors pick up, even as her heart began to race. She had no idea if she should play cool and just go with things or if she should tell David. But how could she tell David without alerting Mary? Her eyes darted frantically over to the woman's and she could read the sorrow and fear in her eyes. David must have followed her gaze, as she could feel his hand tighten around hers. "What do you need, Doctor Carter?" Mary asked, her eyes never leaving Erin's.

"Grab a pair of scissors out of the drawer and cut the sleeve of her blouse off."

Erin unconsciously shook her head, and David nodded, somehow managing to figure out what she couldn't say. "Excuse me, are you Mary Breslin?" he asked, his voice gruff.

She watched the woman stiffen before she nodded and then David was pulling out his handcuffs, standing and advancing towards her slowly. "What's going on?" Luke asked, looking between the three of them in confusion.

"Mary was in collusion with Cathy to hold me for ransom, Luke. David is going to place her under arrest."

Her fiancé nodded before looking at Mary. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Mary."

The woman's shoulders slumped as she held out her wrists. "The easy way. There's really nothing to live for, after all. You killed Cathy."

"And she tried to kill Erin. Mary Breslin, you are under arrest. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. Should you not be able to afford one, the court will provide one for you. At any moment, you can choose to exercise these rights and refuse to answer my questions. Do you understand these rights?"

Mary nodded and he closed the handcuffs around her wrists. "I'm sorry, Erin. I really did try to take care of you," Mary said lowly.

"I asked you to let me go. I told you that we could think of something different. And you still kept me locked up in that basement. I'm sorry that Cathy died, but I'm not sorry that my loved ones rescued me. David, get her out of my sight."

He nodded and led her from the room, and she gave into her tears, burying her face in her hands as Luke rubbed her shoulders and held her close, letting her sob out everything she had just been through in his arms. Her only thought was that she hoped David returned to her soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Erin fidgeted in the bed, eager to get out of the hospital and go home with David. Luke had decided to keep her overnight for observation, even though she was perfectly fine, as she kept telling him. But he wouldn't listen to her, and she hadn't wanted to cause a fuss by signing out AMA. Instead, she had let one of the nurses help her into a soft set of scrubs and curled up with the knit blanket that someone had scrounged up, the loss of adrenaline making her so exhausted.

But then, she had woken up in the morning cranky and nervous, wanting to see David come in and help her home. It was hard to wait, and she started to nervously bite at her cuticles as the time continued to slip by slowly. The nurses and doctors who knew her kept dropping by, telling her small stories to make her smile. The hospital's lawyer had also dropped by, asking her if she was going to pursue legal action against the hospital, since they had employed Mary after all. She had seemed relieved when Erin had told her no, that she had no desire of dragging herself through a civil lawsuit on top of the certain criminal case that she would have to face.

"Erin!" Her head shot up, and she tried to keep the disappointment off her face as she found Penelope's face in the crowd. The woman skittered over to her, a wide smile on her face. "Oh, stop, you can look mad that I'm not your sweet Italian Stallion! He knew you were going to be disappointed to see my face here, but…he has some plans for you that could not include picking you up. As a peace offering, he sent along this."

Penelope handed over a small box of gourmet chocolate, and Erin took it from her hands, smiling softly. "These will all be caramels, you know. It's my favorite type of candy. Would you like a piece?"

"No, I got my own box. But thank you for the offer!" Penelope wrapped her arms around Erin, hugging her tightly. "I am so glad that you are okay! I thought that we had lost you once again." Erin could feel that she was trying to keep from crying, and she sighed a little before turning her face and kissing her cheek.

"It's okay to cry. Really, it is. I did a lot of that while I was there. Now, please. Take me home."

"All right, we just have to get a doctor to come by and discharge you," the younger woman replied as she let go of her, wiping at her eyes. Doctor Carter came by at just that moment and smiled at them, nodding a little.

Taking a deep breath, she grasped for Penelope's hand, needing to hold on to her for some reason. "I bet that you are ready to get out of here, Erin."

She nodded and looked over at Penelope. "I even have my friend here to pick me up. So, am I good to go?"

He nodded. "You are. And, I got word from your office that you are taking a mandatory two week paid vacation. All right? Not because we don't think that you can't do your job, but because we want you to be well when you return." He handed her an envelope and then hugged her softly. "Relax for a little bit, okay?"

"I'll try." Luke nodded as he signed off on his chart and then he and Penelope were wheeling her out the door. "See you in a fortnight!" she called out as she waved, feeling tears come to the forefront once more.

"And not a moment before!" he called out as she stood up from the wheelchair and let Penelope lead her out to the car.

"I hope this doesn't embarrass you, Penelope, but…please come over for supper tomorrow night. I'm going to head right up to bed."

A bright blush stained Penelope's cheeks as she nodded. "I sort of figured that would be what happened," she said softly as she helped Erin into the car. She shrugged a little as they got under way, and then she just sighed, breathing in the sweet air of freedom. "Oh, and my group meets Monday nights, if you want people to talk to and understand what happened to you. I promise, everything that's shared in group, stays in group."

"That sounds wonderful, Penelope." She sighed and then reached over to touch Penelope's upper arm, needing the contact with her. The rest of the drive flew by, as if Penelope knew that she needed to be home. The moment she pulled into the drive, the front door opened, and David appeared on the porch, smiling widely at them. "I will call you as soon as I am decent," she murmured as she threw open the door and took off for her lover, waving absently to Penelope without turning around. "David!" she exclaimed as she launched herself into his arms, holding him close as he lifted her off her feet and carried her in to the house.

She smiled when he kicked the door closed and he chuckled a little before leaning down and kissing her deeply. "I have missed you, bella. So much. It was torture, not being able to pick you up, but I knew that I couldn't keep my hands off you if I did, so I told Kitten that I had some grand plans for today. Mainly, I just want to hold you."

"Oh, I hope we are going to be doing a little more than holding, David," she purred as she ran her hand up and down his arm. He shrugged a little and she smiled as she leaned in and nipped at his lip gently. "You were all I could think of down there, you and Penelope, and my children. But overwhelmingly you. I dreamt of you holding me, you making love to me, you tell me that you love me. I love you."

He grinned as he carried her up the stairs to their room. As the door opened, she smelled roses and knew that despite his protestations, he had gone out and done something special for her. "All right, so I may have bought out all the roses from two flower shops. You deserved something beautiful to come home to."

She sighed lightly as he lowered her to the bed. "Thank you." She lifted her face up for another kiss, and he obliged her before making short work of the buttons on her blouse, stripping it off her with utmost care.

"Didn't they let you wear a bra home?" he asked with a saucy wink, and she bit her lip and looked away from him. "Erin?"

"I couldn't get my arm behind my back to fasten it. So, I left it off."

He made a low sound in the back of his throat and picked up her arm, looking at the bandage. "Does it hurt much?"

"A little. I refused anything stronger than Tylenol, since…well, you know." He nodded and she reached up to caress his hair. "I hope you don't mind, but I have to be on top for the next few weeks, until this heals. It hurts too much to use a lot."

He nodded once more before lowering his lips to the bandage. "I'll take the utmost care with you then, today. I love you, so much, my Erin. And you are my Erin, forever and always."

"Forever and always," she said in return before sealing that vow with a kiss. She didn't need a marriage license to tell her that this was her last relationship, that this would be the love that would last her until the end of time.


End file.
